Pages

Wednesday, June 25, 2014

The Secrets of Darcy and Elizabeth...Victoria Kincaid

Victoria Kincaid, author of The Secrets of Darcy and Elizabeth, is my guest today. It is always such a pleasure to have a new author talk to us about how she started writing. Victoria's book has a very unique premise and is one that I found especially fascinating. By the looks of the sheer number of reviews it has garnered on Amazon, it must be a popular novel to many!

Congratulations, Victoria, and thank you for stopping by today. Thank you also for your generous giveaway. Now, please welcome Victoria Kincaid.

I didn’t set out to write a Pride & Prejudice variation!
A couple of years ago, I stumbled upon some of the sequels and
alternative versions and got addicted to reading them. But I am writer, so as I was reading
different variations I would start to think, “wouldn’t it be neat if…and
then….” Before I knew it, I had the
workings of a plot in my head.

Another inspiration was an interesting moment during
the war between France and Britain.
Following the signing of the Treaty of Amiens, there was a brief moment
of peace. In 1803, hundreds of English citizens (who were huge fans of French
fashion and French wine despite the war) flocked to Paris. When the war broke out again, these travelers
were desperate to escape the country.

I thought it would be fascinating to put Elizabeth
and Darcy among these English citizens. Austen doesn’t deal much with the war
or politics, but I liked the idea of complicating their romance with these
outside events. I tried to remain true
to Austen’s characters—since I appreciate that kind of fidelity in other
variations—while putting them in new situations outside their comfort
zones.

Traditionally, P&P variations have been set in
1813, the year the book was published, but Austen actually wrote the first
draft long before 1800, so I didn’t think that changing the setting to 1803 was
that big a stretch.

~Blurb~

In this Pride and
Prejudice variation, a despondent Darcy travels to Paris in the hopes of
forgetting the disastrous proposal at Hunsford. Paris is teeming with English
visitors during a brief moment of peace in the Napoleonic Wars, but Darcy’s
spirits don’t lift until he attends a ball and unexpectedly
encounters…Elizabeth Bennet! Darcy
seizes the opportunity to correct misunderstandings and initiate a courtship.

Their moment of peace is interrupted by the news that
England has again declared war on France, and hundreds of English travelers
must flee Paris immediately. Circumstances force Darcy and Elizabeth to escape
on their own, despite the risk to her reputation. Even as they face dangers
from street gangs and French soldiers, romantic feelings blossom during their
flight to the coast. But then Elizabeth falls ill, and the French are arresting
all the English men they can find….

When Elizabeth and Darcy finally return to England, their
relationship has changed, and they face new crises. However, they have secrets they must
conceal—even from their own families.

~ ~ ~

To read more about Victoria Kincaid and her book, please visit her blog;

Victoria Kincaid is allowing me to host a lovely giveaway of three electronic books of The Secrets of Darcy and Elizabeth, and the giveaway is international. Thank you, Victoria. To be entered leave a comment below as I always love reading your 'share in the conversation'! Good luck to all. Be sure to include your email address in the comment. To prevent unwanted spam, put your email address with (at) instead of @. Winners will be chosen in a random drawing. Giveaway will end at midnight, July 1, 2014.

24 comments:

This looks so good - I love that they have to navigate such a sticky situation together. I already have this on my kindle so please don't put me in the giveaway. Hopefully I'll get to read it soon. My reading time seems to have dwindled to almost nothing the past few weeks. Unacceptable! ;)

I am always very intrigued when writers give us a chance to see our beloved characters surrounded by new people and in different places. If they remain true to the original ones, the outcome cannot be negative! Thanks for the giveaway!

Thank you, ladies, for a great post!I am fascinated by this premise, Victoria! It promises a lot of excitement and a completely new angle. Thanks for the opportunity to take part in the giveaway, I wouldn't miss it!